The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-04-15
REMAINS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
The Mystery as to Their Place OF De-
posit About to be Revealed.
The Place where the Remains Were
Secreted Disclosed.
The Bodies Inferred In Oak Ridge
Cemetery.

NEW YORK, April 14.-A special from
Springfield, ILL.,, says that ever since the at
tempt was made to steal the remains of
Abraham Lincoln there has been mystery
as to the exact place where the ashes of the
martyr President are lying. This mystery is
now about to be removed. The Lincoln Me-
mortal Association, a local organization,
which has for years held appropriate SER
vices on the 10Th of April, will make the
whole matter public at the services to occur
on Friday, in the House of Representatives.
This organization is ostensib,y formed for
holding these annual observances, but in
fact it has been devoted to the security of
the Presidents remains, and the members
have been bound together by oath to keen
their knowledge in regard to the resting
place profound secret For some days they
have been preparing to remove the remains
from the place where they have lain for
years, and to place them beside the remains
of Mrs. Lincoln. The final preparations
were completed yesterday afternoon, and the
removal win occur this morning. The ut
most privacy has been maintained regarding
all the steps taken, and only the general out
line of the facts is ascertainable. The Me-
mortal Association has prepared written
statement, however, to be read at the SER
vices on Friday, giving a history of the
keeping of the remains and the associations
relations to the trust. The members are de-
sirous of putting the public in possession of
the exact facts, and leaving the matter in
such shape that there shall be no longer any
mystery or secresy in regard to it; but until
the removal of the remains is effected, and
all the projected plans carried out, they de-
cline to converse about it. The revelations
services of this year.
SPRINGFIELD. ILL.,, April 14.-The remains
OF ex-President and Mrs. Lincoln were pri-
vately taken from their secret resting place
this morning. and inferred in the north vault
Oh the Lincoln monument in Oak Ridge Gem
etery, near this CITY,. Less than dozen per-
sons, members OF the Lincoln Monument
Association and the Lincoln Guard of Honor
were present. For years the whereabouts
Of the remains of the great President and
his wife have been kept secret, for fear they
would be stolen to obtain huge ransom for
their return. An actual attempt to carry off
the bodies in 1876 was the cause of the form
alton of the Guard of Honor, which organ
ization secreted them, and today surrendered
up their charge. The secret grave was di-
rectly under the north base Of the obelisk
about 30 feet from the north entrance but
only accessible through the south door. The
body OF Lincoln was in walnut coffin,
lined with alright lead lining about one
eighth of an inch thick. The walnut coffin
was in cedar box, and the cedar box was
SASAVoOU III a pAlC DUA UhIS. llluCOlu Ie-
mains were similarly enclosed. When the
guards, with the help of a few laborers, had
exhumed the collins, and the lid of the Presi-
dents was removed, his face was seen to be
In remarkable state of preservation. Those
who stood around and had known Lincoln
wheu alive. easily diseerned the features.
They were very distinct. The silver plate
on the coffin-lid was bright. While the re-
mains OF Lincoln were exposed to view, Gen.
Reese, president of the Guard of Honor,
turned the remains of Lincoln over to the
Lincoln Monument Association. certif-
cate was signed by the members Of the
Guard OF Honor, certifying the remains in
the coffin were those received from the Lin
coin Monument Association in 1878. The
Monument Association made out certif-
cate, signed by the members, for the records
Of the Association, declaring the remains to
be those of Abraham Lincoln. A plumber
then sealed the coffin up. The coffin was
takenup by the workmen and carried around
to the vault on the north side. In the north
vault the floor had been taken up A hole
eight feet long by six feet wide and 81 feet
deep, bricked up and cemented had been
prepared The Presidents coffin was
placed In this grave, on the west side.
The coffin containing Mrs Lincoln's remains
which had been brought from the secret
grave before the other coffin was then
brought to the vault, and placed on the east
side OF her husband. A brick arch was built
over the coffins. This was covered with
cement, mixed with small, broken rock.
Two guards will be on duty at the tomb till
the cement becomes hard. The marble
sarcophagus in which the public have sup
posed the remains to be is still in the vault